You know what this means don't you? One 7 oz jar of Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme is the key to my all time favorite holiday treat. In fact, I'd really like to make it year round... You guessed it...FANTASY FUDGE!!!

Fudge is an oh so rich, sweet, concoction of milk, sugar, butter, chocolate, and marshmallow creme. In other words, it is Heaven. This recipe is the same one used by my mother. It makes about 30-40 servings, or if you're making it for me, it's about 3 servings.

Okay, so there's really nothing spooky about these cupcakes.. but they sure are festive! Devil's food for the spook-factor, and a delicious Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese frosting in spook-tacular colors!

Make these!

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup boiling water

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.For the cupcake batter, stir the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.Put the cut up chocolate in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, then the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and sour cream.Whisk in the flour and sugar mixture in 3 separate additions, whisking until smooth after each.Divide the batter equally among the cavities in the pans, spooning it in. Bake the cupcakes until they are well risen and feel firm when pressed in the center with a fingertip, about 20 minutes.Cool in the pans on racks for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to racks and cool completely before frosting.

Frost and decorate as desired. As you can see, I had a blast! For the frosting recipe, click here.

I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate. I am not a Reese’s girl either. Sure, I’ll take it in a pinch. But really, it is just not decadent enough. The peanut butter is too dry and the chocolate not creamy enough. No. No. My true favorites are Trader Joe’s mini PB cups. There is no better chocolate to peanut butter ratio around. And oh the creaminess. It’s just something the mass production of Reese’s can’t capture. Since our recent relocation to New Orleans, I can’t satisfy my Trader Joe’s cravings like I’d like to. This inconvenience has me back in the kitchen, hoping to capture decadent indulgence as best I can. I think I might be on to something… and I think I found a winner! I can’t claim it’s as creamy as a T.J.’s PB cup.. but it sure is tasty.. and dare I say, equally as addictive? These are a sugary, peanut buttery, pretzel-y, salty, chocolate-y , goodness treat. Oh, and did I mention simple? So easy.

Directions:Combine peanut butter and softened butter in a standing mixer at low speed. Add the sugars and mix to combine. (Try not to dive in and eat all the peanut butter mixture yet.)At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you're ready to go. If not, add more sugar ( a little bit of each) until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure, or a small spoon to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips on low heat, stirring constantly. When chocolate is melted and completely smooth, dip chilled peanut butter pretzels half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are done, return to the freezer for another 30 minutes to chill.